Continuing the trend of home umpires officiating in Tests ever since the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has appointed Anil Chaudhary and Virender Sharma to stand alongside Nitin Menon in the first two Tests of the upcoming series between India and England.
According to a report in ESPN, Chaudhary will be the on-field umpire for the first Test beginning February 5 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, with Sharma replacing him in the second beginning February 13.
C Shamshuddin, also part of the international panel, will be the third umpire for the first Test, and will be replaced by Chaudhary for the following match.
Meanwhile, former India pacer Javagal Srinath will be the match referee for England’s entire tour, which will also feature five T20Is and three ODIs.
Menon, the only Indian official on the ICC’s Elite Panel, will be standing in his fourth Test, while for both Chaudhary and Sharma, it will be the maiden Test appearance.
While Chennai will host the first two Test, the final matches will be played in Ahmedabad. The final two Tests will also include a day-night Test starting February 24.
Significantly, ICC, when in June last year international cricket resumed after the global lockdown because of the Covid-19 pandemic, had temporarily removed neutral umpires for all international formats owing to the “logistical challenges with international travel”.